A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material that is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.
The present invention relates to a cable attachment bracket that is constructed and secured to articulating garage door panels in such a way as to prevent unwanted disconnection of the bracket from the garage door panel.
Overhead garage doors are commonly constructed from a series of horizontal sections or panels hingedly connected about horizontal axes. The sides of each panel forming the door are typically mounted on a suitable track assembly for movement between a vertical position closing the garage opening, and a horizontal position allowing access to the garage interior. Thus, the sides of each panel typically include projecting rollers that ride in a track on each side of a garage door opening.
Generally, the movement of overhead garage doors between the vertical, closed position and the horizontal, open position is generally augmented by a counterbalancing force. This counterbalancing force is typically created through the use of spring mechanisms employing extension springs or torsion springs attached to lift cables that, in turn, are attached to the bottom of the garage door by a cable attachment bracket. When the garage door is in the vertical, closed position, the extension springs or torsion springs are fully extended and under maximum tension. As the garage door transitions from a vertical, closed position to a horizontal open position, the spring tension pulls upwardly on the bottom of the garage door and effectively reduces the weight of a garage door that must lifted by hand or by the motor of the garage door opener.
A problem with garage doors utilizing counterbalancing spring mechanisms is the potential damage and/or injury resulting from the cable attachment bracket becoming disconnected from the bottom of the garage door while the extension spring or torsion spring is under tension. Specifically, conventional systems for attaching the lift cable to the bottom of the garage door allow the cable attachment bracket to be disconnected from the garage door while the extension spring or torsion spring is under tension. Accordingly, there exists a need for an improved cable attachment bracket that is constructed and secured to the bottom of the garage door so as to prevent unwanted disconnection of the cable attachment bracket from the garage door. The present invention provides a cable attachment bracket that solves this problem.
The cable attachment bracket of the present invention is fixed onto a bottom garage door panel of a multi-paneled overhead garage door. A cable extends from the cable attachment bracket to connect the garage door to the garage door counterbalancing mechanism. The cable attachment bracket of the present invention includes a central plate with inwardly opposed flanges or arms extending from the sides of the plate for engaging the door panel and an outwardly extending stud for engaging the cable. The opposed flanges each contain a retaining notch and an opening for the receipt of a fastening screw or fastening device. The bracket flanges or arms fit through slots in the frame of the door panel and are attached to the frame or stile by fasteners.
The construction of the cable attachment bracket prevents the cable attachment bracket from separating from the garage door panel while an attached lift cable is under tension. That is, the fastening screws pass through openings in the opposed flanges so as to secure the cable attachment bracket to a stile or frame of the bottom garage door panel. The notches in the arms engage the slots in the frame and prevent the cable attachment bracket from becoming separated from the bottom garage door panel in the event the fastening screws are removed. Specifically, when the fastening screws are removed while the lift cable is under tension, the tension in the lift cable biases the retaining notches in the slots of the frame or stile to an interlocked position with the bottom garage door panel or frame. Consequently, the cable attachment bracket cannot be separated from the bottom garage door panel without first releasing the tension in the lift cable. Accordingly, the cable attachment bracket cannot be accidentally disconnected from the garage door while the cable is under tension.